37 (A)But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:37 Lit. your word be yes yes

37 But make sure your statement is, ‘[a]Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [b]of (A)evil origin.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:37 I.e., a clear “yes” or “no”
  2. Matthew 5:37 Or from the evil one

37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.(A)

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37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

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26 If anyone [a]among you thinks he is religious, and (A)does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

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Footnotes

  1. James 1:26 NU omits among you

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not [a](A)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

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Footnotes

  1. James 1:26 Or control

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious [scrupulously observant of the rituals of his faith], and does not control his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless (futile, barren).

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26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

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36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

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36 But I tell you that for every [a]careless word that people [b]speak, they will give an account of it on the (A)day of judgment. 37 For [c]by your words you will be justified, and [d]by your words you will be condemned.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:36 Or useless
  2. Matthew 12:36 Lit will speak
  3. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with
  4. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with

36 But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. 37 For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.”

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36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

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For (A)we all stumble in many things. (B)If anyone does not stumble in word, (C)he is a [a]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:2 mature

For we all (A)stumble in many ways. (B)If anyone does not stumble in [a]what he says, he is a (C)perfect man, able to [b](D)rein in the whole body as well.

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:2 Lit word
  2. James 3:2 Or hold in check

For we all stumble and sin in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says [never saying the wrong thing], he is a perfect man [fully developed in character, without serious flaws], able to bridle his whole body and rein in his entire nature [taming his human faults and weaknesses].

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For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

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Even so (A)the tongue is a little member and (B)boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And (C)the tongue is a fire, a world of [a]iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it (D)defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of [b]nature; and it is set on fire by [c]hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, (E)full of deadly poison.

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:6 unrighteousness
  2. James 3:6 existence
  3. James 3:6 Gr. Gehenna

So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it (A)boasts of great things.

(B)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And (C)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among [a]our body’s parts as that which (D)defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our [b]life, and is set on fire by [c](E)hell. For every [d]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human [e]race. But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of (F)deadly poison.

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:6 Lit our parts
  2. James 3:6 Or existence, origin
  3. James 3:6 Gr Gehenna
  4. James 3:7 Lit nature
  5. James 3:7 Lit nature

In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by [a]hell (Gehenna). For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison.

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:6 See note Matt 5:22.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

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